17th Annual Lakeland Pigfest Breaks Out the Good Eats

Pigfest's music and barbecue entertain and feed people

Jeff Cayer of the Swinos Barbecue Team cuts a slab of ribs on Saturday at the 17th Annual Lakeland Pigfest.

RICK RUNION | THE LEDGER

By CLIFFORD PARODYTHE LEDGER

Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 2:32 a.m.

LAKELAND | The scent of meat and the sounds of rock and roll filled the air Saturday as thousands of hungry people visited the Tigertown Sports Complex for the 17th annual Lakeland Pigfest, which began Friday and ran through Saturday afternoon.

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Pigfest is an annual barbecue competition/fundraiser put on by the Junior League of Greater Lakeland. For years, the event has attracted competitive professionals and backyard enthusiasts from across Florida and other southeastern states, and has lured people from near and far who are in search of good eats.

Dave and Sue Hawkins were planning a vacation to the Caribbean from their home in London, England, and remembered seeing a segment about Pigfest on a British TV cooking show.

"We just thought we'd come to Lakeland and see what it was all about," Sue Hawkins, 53, said. "It's the first time we've been to anything like this."

"I wish I could get ‘barbie' like this back home," Dave Hawkins said, munching on some ribs. "But the big shame is that you can't get a decent beer here, just Budweiser, and that's rubbish."

Pigfest co-chair Leslie Norman, who has volunteered for Pigfest for the past seven years, said they expected at least 45,000 people to attend this year, and were maxed out with 133 teams in professional and backyard.

Admission was free, and attendees bought "pig bucks" to make purchases. Eighty percent of the proceeds go to the vendors, and 20 percent is split between the Junior League and Girls Inc.

Lines formed at nearly every booth, including the Bayer tent, where more than 20,000 samples of Alka-Seltzer, Bayer aspirin and Aleve were passed out to curb any barbecue-induced heartburn.

Brad Hopkins of Lakeland is one of a group of friends that runs Sultans of Swine, a backyard competition team known for their Pork Puppies, hush puppies that are stuffed with pork.

Hopkins said Saturday afternoon that they had served about 1,500 of the puppies since the event began.

"We just started coming out here about 10 years ago just to have some fun," Hopkins said. "But it's evolved into all of our families coming out too. It's barbecue overload; it's good stuff."

Adam Norman, 35, of Lakeland, runs Southern Bred Competition Barbecue, and brought his team for the sixth year in a row.

"We started out with 50 pork butts that weigh about eight pounds apiece," Norman said. "We've got five left, and they'll be gone soon," he said Saturday afternoon.

Gina Zwanzig, who runs Southside Learning Center on Cleveland Heights Avenue, attended the event for the first time this year.

"All my [students'] parents talk about Pigfest, so I had to come see what it was about," she said.

Of course, the most important thing about Pigfest is the food.

"I believe the phrase ‘I feel like there's a party in my mouth and everyone is invited' must have been coined at Pigfest some years ago," 26-year-old middle school teacher Corey Hillyard said with a mouth full of Bubbachuck Sandwich.

"God bless America."

[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]

<p>LAKELAND | The scent of meat and the sounds of rock and roll filled the air Saturday as thousands of hungry people visited the Tigertown Sports Complex for the 17th annual Lakeland Pigfest, which began Friday and ran through Saturday afternoon. </p><p>Pigfest is an annual barbecue competition/fundraiser put on by the Junior League of Greater Lakeland. For years, the event has attracted competitive professionals and backyard enthusiasts from across Florida and other southeastern states, and has lured people from near and far who are in search of good eats.</p><p>Dave and Sue Hawkins were planning a vacation to the Caribbean from their home in London, England, and remembered seeing a segment about Pigfest on a British TV cooking show. </p><p>"We just thought we'd come to Lakeland and see what it was all about," Sue Hawkins, 53, said. "It's the first time we've been to anything like this."</p><p>"I wish I could get 'barbie' like this back home," Dave Hawkins said, munching on some ribs. "But the big shame is that you can't get a decent beer here, just Budweiser, and that's rubbish."</p><p>Pigfest co-chair Leslie Norman, who has volunteered for Pigfest for the past seven years, said they expected at least 45,000 people to attend this year, and were maxed out with 133 teams in professional and backyard. </p><p>Admission was free, and attendees bought "pig bucks" to make purchases. Eighty percent of the proceeds go to the vendors, and 20 percent is split between the Junior League and Girls Inc. </p><p>Lines formed at nearly every booth, including the Bayer tent, where more than 20,000 samples of Alka-Seltzer, Bayer aspirin and Aleve were passed out to curb any barbecue-induced heartburn.</p><p>Brad Hopkins of Lakeland is one of a group of friends that runs Sultans of Swine, a backyard competition team known for their Pork Puppies, hush puppies that are stuffed with pork. </p><p>Hopkins said Saturday afternoon that they had served about 1,500 of the puppies since the event began. </p><p>"We just started coming out here about 10 years ago just to have some fun," Hopkins said. "But it's evolved into all of our families coming out too. It's barbecue overload; it's good stuff."</p><p>Adam Norman, 35, of Lakeland, runs Southern Bred Competition Barbecue, and brought his team for the sixth year in a row. </p><p>"We started out with 50 pork butts that weigh about eight pounds apiece," Norman said. "We've got five left, and they'll be gone soon," he said Saturday afternoon.</p><p>Gina Zwanzig, who runs Southside Learning Center on Cleveland Heights Avenue, attended the event for the first time this year. </p><p>"All my [students'] parents talk about Pigfest, so I had to come see what it was about," she said.</p><p>Of course, the most important thing about Pigfest is the food.</p><p>"I believe the phrase 'I feel like there's a party in my mouth and everyone is invited' must have been coined at Pigfest some years ago," 26-year-old middle school teacher Corey Hillyard said with a mouth full of Bubbachuck Sandwich. </p><p>"God bless America."</p><p>[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]</p>